One Bedroom Apartments: Find Out the Best Ideas for these Small Spaces

ByMyProperty Life

Starting out in a big city can be a daunting prospect. It becomes even more difficult in cities like New York, London or Melbourne where every inch of space is precious and getting an apartment for rent on the cheap is an achievement in itself. It is in these congested urban settings that the 1-bedroom apartment or the single bedroom apartment comes to your rescue. These tiny homes are often shared by bachelors and friends in big cities and they are also great for young couples just starting out in their careers.

Exquisite modern one-bedroom apartment with pops of color and lovely textural beauty












But what exactly constitutes a one-bedroom apartment? How are the different for those small studio apartments you also find everywhere? And most importantly, how can you transform these tiny settings into cozy dwellings where you feel welcome! From some of the most ingenious inspirations to answers to all those questions and great space-saving ideas, this is your guide to the smart, modern one-bedroom apartment –

What is a One Bedroom Apartment?

Read another article:Design Trends for Creating a Vacation Vibe at Home

The one-bedroom apartment is a space where you get pretty much what is advertised – an open living area with kitchen and dining space and a separate bedroom and bathroom that are detached from the living area. This is the standard one-bedroom apartment design and it could vary a touch depending on the available space and the floor plan that the homeowner might want. If you are looking for a compact apartment for a young family or want a bit more privacy as you host guest, this is just right for you.

Small modern-industrial one-bedroom apartment in Georgia
Separate bedroom in the one bedroom apartment gives you ample privacy

Small Studio Apartments

The studio apartment on the other hand offers pretty much everything that the one-bedroom apartment provides, but generally in a much smaller space. The big difference is that you do not get a separate bedroom in here and the bedroom is connected with the living room itself. Everything is contained in the one large living area with kitchen in a corner, dining space next to it and the bedroom in another corner next to the bathroom. This is an apartment more suited for friends who wish to bunk together and those who do not want too much privacy!

Classic Studio Apartment in Manhattan where the bedroom becomes a part of the living space
Super-tiny studio apartment with multi-functional wall unit that is just 8 square meters in size

What Works for You

Choosing between whether you want a studio apartment or a one-bedroom apartment is all about what your spatial demands are, your personal needs and the budget you are working with. One-bedroom apartments are a bit more spacious and tend to cost a touch more than smaller studio apartments where privacy could be a concern. Many of these apartments that are available for rent come with furniture, making it a whole lot easier to start out fresh in a big city. Of course, you can also get empty one-bedroom apartments and customize the interior to meet your exact needs; but this is more of an option for homeowners.

Custom wooden platform inside the apartment transforms into different decor pieces with ease
30-Square meter small one bedroom attic apartment in Milan with a monochromatic backdrop

Settle on a Style

Read another article:Hot Trends: 20 Best Farmhouse Style Kitchens in White and Wood

In the small one-bedroom apartment, it is important to have clarity about the style that you want and the color scheme of the space. Often, it is white or light gray walls that work best. Moving past the neutral backdrop, it is safe to say that styles like Scandinavian and modern feel more apt in these tiny apartments rather than more extravagant ones like eclectic or rustic.

Creating another level for the bedroom saves space inside the tiny apartment
Innovative one-bedroom apartment in Tel Aviv is spread across two different levels!

Discovering Space Above with Loft Levels

In the small apartment it is important to make most of the vertical space on offer. Even in the single bedroom, plan for a loft level that can double as a reading nook, relaxation zone and even as a second bedroom for guests. Sometimes you can move your primary bedroom above and use the space below as home office; allowing you to multi-task within the limited area.

Mezzanine level of the small Barcelona apartment adds precious additional space inside the tiny setting
Utilizing the vertical space in the single bedroom apartment in style!

Space-Saving Single Wall Kitchens

Single-wall kitchens are not an idea that is limited to the one-bedroom apartment alone, but they work especially well in here. Do away with whatever is unnecessary in here and add only the things you regularly use in the kitchen. A small countertop, maybe a tiny island on wheels that can be tucked in when not in use and floating shelves should do the rest.

Perfect kitchen and dining area for the small, one-bedroom apartment with limited space
Single-wall kitchen inside the small one-bedroom apartment is a space-saver

Décor that Multitasks

Read another article:Revamped Small Barcelona Apartment Combines Multiple Styles and Finishes

Finally, do not underestimate the value of additions like the Murphy bed, fold-away desks and adaptable, modular furniture that saves square footage. These furniture choices can give the small apartment a more spacious look and with an even layer of lighting, you have a more cheerful and inviting interior that is not claustrophobic in any way.

Keeping color to a minimum gives the one-bedroom apartment a more spacious look
Folding dividers that swivel open separate the bedroom from the living area in here
Utilizing the mezzanine level above the kitchen in this one bedroom apartment by turning it into a unique reading nook

You’re reading One Bedroom Apartments: Find Out the Best Ideas for these Small Spaces, originally posted on Decoist. If you enjoyed this post, be sure to follow Decoist on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.

Similar Posts

  • VITR

    This renovation project originates from the intervention of a pre-existent building located in the western area of Mexico City; reshaping it into a studio-house project, with clear conditions and an eye set into the pre-existing circumstances. Our design solution takes on a residential structure from the 20th century and recycles it into a project that integrates itself with its immediate natural environment, shattering the hegemony of the high walls behind which the neighboring houses hide, in order to establish a dialogue that transcends the physical limitations of the project. The variations in the depths of different planes, offer the environment a living façade, where the interior activities are guessed from the visual filters that concede intimacy to the interior spaces. The interior-exterior duality brakes its context’s routine, offering a canvas of textures where the concrete and granite give away to the mildness of the metal and the lightness of plastic fabrics. To the exterior, the housing peeks out without invading; whilst opening in the interior, subtlety exposing itself, balancing the volumes that are inserted in the site. An interplay of planes occurs inside allowing the versatility of spaces by the movement of long-distance sliding screens and wainscots formed by timber that contrast in warmth and complexity with the sobriety of the stone coatings and apparent concrete of the enclosures. A new stairway, based on steel strips, reactivates the space where the old one stood, which gave an opportunity to re-signify the ambiance of the circulations as an experience of sculptural character. The front yard of the house marks the limits of the construction and together with the water mirrors and vegetation orient the route beneath a suspended long cover. The architectural program revolves around the home in the ground floor, leaving the studio in a privileged condition towards the garden. The living spaces in the first level have terraces and views to the exterior between and through a green façade woven of plastic cables (recovering the Acapulco chair technique) that sieve and melt together the thick vegetation of the existing trees. The terraces and windows allows an optimal ventilation, illumination and contextualization between the outside and inside. In the top level, the project offers a view above itself and the wooden horizon from a roof garden that elevates to a higher plane the user’s introspection, belonging and pertinence of itself.

  • Lady

    Architecture and interior design studio idea:list designed a classy, sophisticated and feminine apartment in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana. Delicate design together with feminine lines of selected functional pieces, contrasts with pragmatically designed furniture suggests an aesthetic choice that clearly defines the identity of its user – a timeless Lady. The client wanted to keep her 62 sqm apartment bright, seemingly warm and simply shaped, with some addition of blue which she adores so much. That is why the architects sought conceptual inspiration from the period of Bauhaus and many times overlooked Elieen Gray’s interiors. With its clean lines and functionality her pieces were nevertheless designed with comfort in mind in addition to a great deal of feminine elegance and glamour. The interior was designed by carefully playing with volumes and voids according to their function while dematerializing them and maximizing their use. As such the design is consistent through the whole apartment – each full element is useful and intended for a specific purpose and each void is formed with the knowledge that it can soon be filled. The latter basically functions on its own, but if the owner fills it with objects such as paintings, statues or some useful pieces such as fashion accessories and dresses, the objects are placed in a functional frame or compositional context and do not act foreign. At the beginning the architects from idea:list studio rearranged the kitchen in the living space from an L shape design into two parallel lines that gave them additional storage space. The kitchen island formed as a volume that rests on a long storage bench that connects the kitchen part and the dining space and with its reduced lateness opens up the room and lets light seep through. This new orientation of the kitchen and consequently also the dining part enables circular visual communication between the latter two and the living room, perfectly fitting into its user’s living habits. Perfect counterbalance to an elegant kitchen in two shades of blue lies in furniture covered with oak veneer. Consequently this volumes combined with different colours and materials form a starting point upon which other spaces are designed. The latter is manifested in different functions of assembled volumes and colours. The work area and guestbed are represented in the cabinet as voids and are highlighted by wooden lines that visually continue in theform of a bench throughthe hallway and into the living space where they manifest as a cabinet under the television. The empty frame in the bedroom lets light pass through to the wardrobe while still dividing the sleeping part from the dressing room and in addition serving as a hanger and a place for a rotating mirror. Clean minimalistic lines are complimented by rounded shapes as details that make the space more elegant and sophisticated. This shows best with the shapes of mirrors in this apartment which have a dual function – for examplethe mirror in the bedroomthat simultaneously serves as storage space for jewellery likewise the mirror in the hallway (together with the blue lining) also serves as a cover for the installation cabinets, as a shelf for hanging keys and finally it acts as an introduction to the aesthetics of the apartment (and its owner) to every visitor. The luxurious deep blue velvet on the rounded upholstered backs of benches and beds adds a desired elegance to the space, while carefully selected fabrics in curtains and cushions further enrich it with different textures and delicate contrasts. PROJECT INFO
    Interior Design: idea:list studio
    Design Team: Urša Kres, Tina Begović, Urban Pahor
    Location: Ljubljana, Slovenia
    Photography: Blaž Gutman